1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to sample books and, more specifically, to sample books having handles to facilitate carrying the book.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The makers and users of sample books have long been faced with the problem of providing a sample book which can be easily handled and transported. Sample books, such as those containing wallpaper or other surface coverings, are usually relatively bulky and heavy. Collections of these books are often kept on shelves in showrooms, so that when a person desires to view the book, the book has to be taken from the shelf, carried to a desk or table for viewing, and then returned to the shelf. Often, too, books will be taken from the showroom and transported to the location where the merchandise shown in the books is intended for installation. Because of the nature of the use of sample books as described above, it is important that the books be provided with an effective means for carrying and otherwise handling the books.
Prior attempts to provide a sample book which can be easily handled, transported, and stored have been less than successful. Attempts have been made to place handles on the spine or back surface of the covers of sample books. However, this type of construction resulted in all the weight of the book being borne by the cover of the book, which tended to place too great a stress on the members which fastened the cover to the pages of the book. Therefore, it was common for the cover to separate from the remainder of the book, making the book unusable.
Attempts have been made to fasten one or more straps to the front and back cover of the book, across the spine of the book, in order to serve as a handle. However, this type of handle is inherently unbalanced when supporting the book. For example, when the book is being carried, the handle will tend to lie in the plane of the palm of the hand of the person carrying the book. This is normally parallel to the path of movement of the adjacent leg of the person when he is walking. Therefore, when a book with the crossover strap is carried, the book tends to rotate, so that at least one end of the book projects into the path of movement of the person's leg, causing a constant bumping of the knee against the book. Other attempts at providing a sample book with a convenient handle means have resulted in constructions which interfere with normal use of the book. One example of such construction is where the handling means consists of one handle member extending beyond the spine of the book on either side of the front and back covers, which are usually secured to the book through the cover. However, this type of handle usually cannot be easily moved to a position where it will not interfere with the placing of the book on a flat surface in order to properly view the contents of the book. Instead, the handles usually protrude, making the book somewhat unstable when placed on a table.
Another example of a construction which interferes with the normal function of the book, that in which the cover of the book is designed to serve as the main weight-bearing structure of the book, and the handle is then mounted directly onto the cover. In such circumstances, because the cover serves as the main weight-bearing member for the book, the cover requires a relatively large apron or non-opening segment on the front and/or the back portion. This non-opening segment will prevent the book from lying flat when opened. Accordingly, the large apron, or non-opening section, of the cover will restrict the turning freedom of the pages held in the cover and, therefore, reduce the area of each page in the book that can be effectively and conveniently viewed by the person using the book.